Deinonychus Drawings

This is a little preview of some key 'bad guys' in my kids book.

One of the fiercest dinosaurs ever, pronounced (die-NAH-nih-cuss) which translates as terrible claw and lived in the Western US during the late Cretaceous (121-98 million years ago).

Here is a pair of young male deinonychus posturing in full mating plumage.

Deinonychus could grow up to 5 feet tall, 12 feet long, and 165 pounds.  Not the biggest dinosaur, but with more than 60 sharp teeth, a 5 inch claw on each foot, and a sturdy agile body that allowed this flightless bird-like predator to attack prey much larger than itself in a variety of ways. This dinosaur was one tough costumer!  It could jump onto it's prey, balance with it's tail to kick and turn on a dime, had fantastic senses far beyond our own, and had an enlarged brain in the 'social' area which means this dino was most likely a smart pack hunter and a caring parent.  It's bone structure tells us that this animal was a close cousin to the dinosaurs that evolved into modern birds, and was most likely feathered.  Like birds of today, deinonychus may have had brightly colorful feather patterns for camouflage and/or attracting a mate;)

This is a big female deinonychus.  Like female birds today, they often have more neutral colors than the boys.  Here she is surrounded by her chicks, in protect mode.